I had to see this as a curiosity and it is certainly curious! It is a melodramatic story with a melodramatic production by Laurent Pelly.
The staging and singing are superb and, even if the music is not memorable, the four and a half hours flew by. Not forgetting the ballet of the evil, ghostly nuns; more Hammer Horror than Giselle, it all added to the fun. There was plenty of laughter at points that Meyerbeer and his librettist Grice clearly did not intend but it all fitted with the Hammer Horror vibe. At the start of the first interval, the woman next to me said, “Great fun.” I couldn’t put it better. The picture is on the Royal Opera Facebook page.
Grandpa's reviews 